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RS3
> The superhatch/saloon for those lacking in
imagination and/or driving talent, RS3 struts its
stuff best in a straight line > VERDICT Only feel a
little bit ashamed for wanting one in preference to
something more nimble
A4 SALOON/AVANT/ALLROAD
> Captain Obvious in every way: lighter, smarter,
better to drive than the last one – and only
microscopically different to look at > VERDICT As
you were, except inside, where tech obsession offs
elegance. Rivals remaining calm
RS4
> Estate-only hot A4 ditches free-revving V8 for
RS5’s twin-turbo V6. Covers ground with impressive
pace and ease and just a tiny bit of proper driver
involvement > VERDICT An RS5 in a parka and
Timberland boots
A5 SPORTBACK
> More tech and even better quality doesn’t
compensate for a lack of personality. Better
looking, but so is Dorking after eight pints. You
could buy worse, but you’ll definitely get bored
> VERDICT It’s better to live in than to drive
A5 COUPE/CABRIO
> Deceptive bunny boiler – looks normal until you
realise it’s killed a TT and is wearing its
face. Cue B-road mayhem. Not really
> VERDICT Even more of an A4 in a frock
than the last one, but still better to drive, especially
the S
RS5
> Like a bouncer in a tailored suit, the hot A5’s
power bulges through the creases in its bodywork.
Twin-turbo V6 has full-bodied soundtrack and
quattro provides grip in spades > VERDICT
Composed four-seat express with power to spare,
but it’s not the most involving
A6 (^) depar> BMW 5-series still edges it in the driving tment, but the gap is much slimmer.
Well-appointed, super comfortable, clever and
handsome. Still a bit dull, mind > VERDICT A cruise
missile for the outside lane of the M4
RS6
For wealthy mentalists who think the S6’s
444bhp isn’t enough, RS6 delivers 25 per cent
more and gives the R8 V10 a hard time at the lights
VERDICT Beautifully finished all-weather family
wagon that scares supercars silly
A7 SPORTBACK
Think a more stylish A8 rather than A6 spin-off.
Capable of incredible wafting ability and grippier
than Spider-Man covered in superglue. Petrol
properly refined but diesel will make better sense in
the UK > VERDICT Stylish GT with sensible engines,
but not quite a sports saloon
RS7
REPLACED
SOON
Pricier, less practical RS6 with
fastback rear, same guts, but gets
clever rear diff as standard for
oversteer here, there and everywhere, given room
VERDICT An Aston Rapide for the AA-
goraphobic, but we’d have the naughtier,
better-value RS6
A8
Ingolstadt’s limousine packs enough tech to
worry Skynet and avoids being wooden behind the
wheel so convincingly you’d think it had a different
badge on the front > VERDICT The new king in the
exec tech arms race
AUDI > FORD
CONTINENTAL GT
Still heavy and thirsty, but few GTs can match its
interior, ride quality and performance > VERDICT
Used to be essentially a pricey Volkswagen; now a
great GT in its own right
FLYING SPUR
Current Spur is sharper to drive, sharper to look
at, softer to sit in, and feels less like a stretched
Conti than the previous one > VERDICT Think of it
as a bargain Roller rather than a pricey A8; due for
replacement in 2019
MULSANNE
Huge, hand-built anachronism, with twin-
turbo V8 born in the ’50s, buffed to perfection,
and a field of cows sacrificed > VERDICT Buy
the Speed – any less outrageous display of
consumption is just poor form
BMW
1-SERIES
REPLACED
SOON
Only rear-driver in its class. Good for
handling, not for cabin space. 118i
petrol a brilliant all-rounder > VERDICT
Audi A3 is a better package
M140I
Bavaria’s hot hatch shuns four-pot power and
front-drive for sonorous 335bhp 3.0-litre straight-
six nuke and power to the rears. About as practical
as shorts in a Canadian winter but you won’t care
VERDICT An absolute riot, just don’t have kids
2-SERIES COUPE/CABRIO
Boot-faced booted 1-series is a Mustang with
a couple of A-levels. 218d is 8.9 to 62mph and
63mpg; four-cylinder 228i a cut-price, cut-down
M235i > VERDICT To look at it’s plainer than a
margarine sarnie, but TT and RCZ can’t touch its
space/pace combo
M240i
Still hard to look at without squinting but sweet
six-cylinder is even more grunty. The perfect
2-series if you pretend the M2 doesn’t exist
VERDICT Ignore the Golf R temptation
M2 COMPETITION
The M2 turned up a notch, and now your only
option. M3 engine, new barkier exhaust and
tweaked dynamics > VERDICT An already great
package now even better
2-SERIES ACTIVE TOURER
BEST IN
CLASS
Decent drive, great interior. Need to
cart OAP relatives around? Get the
seven-seat Gran Tourer. Boom boom!
VERDICT The ultimate driving (to the park/
crèche/post office) machine
i3
One of BMW’s best cars is home to its finest
cabin. Electric version has short range; hybrid
is noisy and has a fuel tank like a flea’s hip flask
VERDICT Carbon-chassis supermini, electric
power and £30k price. Did we wake up in 2045?
3-SERIES
G20 isn’t the wildest upgrade on its predecessor
but there’s a lot going on under the skin. Chassis
is so good on M340i version we have high hopes
for the next M3 > VERDICT Still the dynamic
benchmark
4-SERIES COUPE/CABRIO
3-series in a shellsuit subtly better to drive, but
same great engine choices and almost as practical.
Shame about the carryover cabin
VERDICT Crushes Audi’s A5. Folding hardtop
cabrio weighty but worth it
Q2
Odd-looking small crossover is like a Mini
Countryman that’s lost a battle with a set square
VERDICT Nice enough to drive but still a nerd to
the Mini’s prom queen
Q3
Practical, comfy, handsome, well-built...
objectively, we could go on with the positives
VERDICT Shame it’s a bit bland
Q5
Textbook Audi, in a good way: calm and
sophisticated to be in, pleasing to have on your
drive > VERDICT An extremely polished performer,
a considerable cut above so many other premium
SUVs
Q7
German heavy metal turns techno as Mk2
Q7 sheds weight despite megaload of extra
gizmos > VERDICT They thought of everything but
the charm
Q8
First coupe-SUV from Ingolstadt is as sound as you
would expect. The cabin might be different, and the
grille fresh, but is that enough to steer you away from
the formidable Q7? > VERDICT The glitziest car Audi
makes, with a limited choice of engines
E-TRON
A bit tubby and plain when sat next to a Jaguar
i-Pace but Audi’s first all-electric car has all the
usual tech and refinement. It’s potentially one of
the most commercially important Audis ever, hence
the risk-averse approach > VERDICT Vorsprung
durch Elektrisch
TT COUPE/ROADSTER
Brilliant coupe gets virtual dash and sharper
handling. Try 2.0 TFSI. Boot big, but the rear seat’s
for handbags only > VERDICT A proper real-world
sports car – but the same money buys an early R8
TT RS
At the outer limits of the TT’s dynamic envelope, a
17 per cent power hike ekes 395bhp from five pots
and targets wounded Cayman
VERDICT Audi springs the offside trap, rounds
the keeper, but hits the bar. So close!
R8
V10 is one of today’s most engaging engines
and delivers more spine tingles at the top end
than a McLaren Sports Series. All versions now hit
200mph > VERDICT Brilliant daily supercar with a
hint of wildness; and this from the same company
that’s played it so safe with the e-Tron
BAC
MONO
Single-seat racer that took a wrong turn
out of the pits. Pushrod suspension,
Cosworth-tuned 2.3 Duratec and bath-like driving
position > VERDICT Sublime track tool with a
six-figure price
BENTLEY
BENTAYGA
The World’s Fastest SUV matches 187mph top
speed with superb chassis. We flambéed the
brakes, btw. The diesel is on its way out, but a
hybrid version will be here soon > VERDICT Super-
lux options include £110k Breitling clock. Or spend
the same on a two-bed semi in Crewe
Specialist
Bentley insurance
0333 043 3911
rhspecialistinsurance.co.uk
1937 Bentley 4 ¼ Litre Sports.
Value £78,000.
Mileage 3,000 per annum.
Kept garaged at CB8.
Annual premium: £199.52 + IPT.
63 year old, retired, clean licence.
4-SERIES GRAN COUPE
Pretty and practical, like a bikini car wash,
hatchback GC costs £3k more than 3-series but has
standard leather. Five belts but four seats
VERDICT Smart and useful, much more than a
niche exercise. But why isn’t this the 3-series?
M3 CS
Way more of a thriller (in a good way) than the
regular, now defunct M3. Better sorted dynamically
and epic road feedback. But £86k?! That’s a lot
of money > VERDICT Finally, we get the version it
should have been all along
5-SERIES
Smart, semi-autonomous and still the best in class
VERDICT Spirit-crushingly good
M5
G30-generation V8 bruiser sends shove to all
four wheels but you can still drift it like Ken Block.
A sharp-suited and refined yet ballistically quick
autobahn prowler > VERDICT All-wheel drive hasn’t
ruined the M5
7-SERIES
So high-tech BMW must have ram-raided
Google’s R&D bunker, confident the ‘carbon core’
construction would enable it to drive back out
VERDICT Gesture control, remote parking, active
anti-roll – it’s got it all. But not quite the kudos of the
Mercedes-Benz S-Class...
8-SERIES
Configured to have a broad appeal, so it’s not
quite the dramatic sports car we hoped for. Still, it’s
an incredibly impressive piece of kit, and you can
really hustle it on track. And that’s before the M8
arrives > VERDICT Just be thankful a big V8 coupe
like this exists at all
X1
Ugly old one sold by the bucket load; all-new
replacement is miles better to look at and to drive.
It’s a proper mini-SUV now > VERDICT It’s even
based on the front-drive Mini platform. Swallow that
bile, because it works well
X2
Sportier, arguably more stylish X1. Avoid the M
Sport X if you don’t want your SUV to look like Bond
villain Jaws > VERDICT Great to drive and well-built
inside, although not the most rational choice
X3
Studiously un-gangsta SUV offers a sweet blend
of handling and handiness > VERDICT The BMW
SUV we don’t hate ourselves for liking
X4
Blame the Evoque and people who bought the
X6 for this carbuncle. Priced at £4k-£5k more than
an X3, but better equipped and not terrible to drive
VERDICT Depressing X3 spin-off for grown-ups
who still dream of being a professional footballer
X5
Luxurious, capable and very much at the forefront
of good handling in the posh SUV stakes. Even
bigger X7 is heading this way
VERDICT We’d still take a 5-series Touring
X6
All the impracticality of a coupe and all the
wasteful high-centred mass of an SUV. Genius. If
you must, X40d gives best price/punch/parsimony
VERDICT Pointless pimp wagon. Buy a Porsche
Cayenne or an X5
Z4
The uglier of the BMW/Toyota siblings shines
more for its refinement and comfort than its
ability to set your hair on fire. Accomplished and